Fuse construction



ZAWMSS July 16, M46. P. KIANGI FUSE CONSTRUCTION Filed July 51, 1942 2Sheets-Sheet l Piaa' 7X76 any July 16, 1946. P. KIANG FUSE CONSjTRUCTIONFiled July 31, 1942- 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' Pjaa Patented July 16, 1946UNITED srAIae-s FUSEGONSTRUCTlGN" P-iao:Ki-ang;-;Washington; n;ospeneatisnrmy-sr, mrz serramo. 4532069 (crime-r) The. presentinvention: relates tora fusercone str-uctionfor explosive projectiles.

It is a principal object of my inventionytospro vide a fuseconstructiomof the -set..-hack type especially adapted to be used withsmooth. bore explosive projectiles of. thenon-rotating. type; such asmay be used in the smooth bore barrels of. trench mortars or the like.

It. is a very important object of m invention to provide a fuseconstruction which is,-not only. bore safe, but is absolutely safe andmaintained in an unarmed condition. until after the fuse :Wlth itsprojectile has reached its..maximum ordinate and is fallin towards theground.

It, is also an important object of. my, invention t0-proVide a. fuseconstruction having. two functions of either superquick.. or delayedaction. especially adapted. to be used with. smooth bore projectiles andhavingmeans. for selectively ad.- justi'ng, the fuse to give either adelayed or a. super-quick action,, together with. means to. lock. the,selecting, means in the, selected. position immediat'ely upon. theprojection ofthe fuse-with its projectile from. the barrel of theprojectin de.-- Vl'ce.

It is a further. object of'thepresent invention to provide a fuseconstruction of the character described which is absolutely safe. for,handling. and storage purposes and". which. is positively. locked;against arming until. the. fuse, with. its pro.- jectile has beenprojectedfrom the barrel' of the projecting device and has passed itsmaximum. ordinate.

It is also an object of the present ihventionto. provide a fuseconstruction especially adapted? to'be used with smooth boreprojectiles..andhav-- ing selected functions of delayed or: super-quick.action with a simple means for selecting either of the desired fuseactions merely by a manual; rotation. of. the fuse body. before.placing. the. fuse with its explosive projectile in. the barreLof the.projecting device.

It is a still further objectofmy invention to;- Drovide a fuseconstruction in which all operate position. assumed whemtheshell emntmre the ground;

figure 44 1 -3,, longitudinal?sectiompartl ;ineelez vation, taken. at.right. angles to Fi ure le ands showing the,- selecting;meansadj-ustedltq select.

adelayed action-tor thef-usez, v, 1 V I Figure. 5: is .l a,horizontal,-. section; takenz. on the. line 5. 5..ofrliigure.4;

Eigure 6 is. a. fragmentarylongitudinal section showing thedetailsof..the. selecting; slide withtthe-i slide. locked; in. the. position.to selectz a. superquick action of the fuse;c 1 J Eigu-re 7. is, a.horizontal section. taken, onethe line ;'I.'.1f of, Figure, 1',.fi1r.then illustrating,- these? l'ectiiigplidei. 1

Eig'urefidaa. horizontal. section takenion the; lined-+8oiiEigunafianmEigure 1.9 is. a..fragmentarya enlargedsection, takenQon the; line 9..9;ofiFfi-gura 15; showing the detailsroi the safety belt: forlocking: thefuse; against} arming, before the. pun action ot, the. fuse;anriitsprojectile. Y V

Reierring, to Figure L Oflthe. drawingaa -f,usebody! is providedwithethreadsrlu. for-attache ment'eto' anrexplosiveprojectiler At. the:noseen d. on the body .9,; a.use=.nose :ring. I] t of rolled rn eta is.secured in placetnlretainj a fuse nose cup; 12 of thin .metal. 'llheifalse'body 9. iepnovided-with; a longitudinal, bore. oivaryingdimensions. At;

I thenose and} the -fusehody, horeis enlarged-asset;

t3 toprovid'e ashoulder. IA, unon ivhichciscseated the .firingl Kiln.cup. 7 IE which. is. retained in, place. by the fuse nose cup I2' andring ll. Seated: with-in theffiring, pin, cup. ii and secured. in anysuitable; fashion is a. firing pin. I 6., It, shall-Id be; noted; that.the. fuse nose.- ring; H is secured to; the body, Biinsuch-mannerestOrender theoper-.. atingmeclianisms within the .fusebody complete--lyair. andrwatertightn Sliiiahlypositioned within\ the bore -T-g istthe: body. llllknowncass a. primer adapter or. carrier... Theprimer.adapter .body !& is. provided. with: as longitudhal sbore. and. seatedwithin the; bore at: a. centralpoint, along ltSa16ngjJh.-. is. the.primer. L91,

ing features are fully enclosed and are. rendered"; Thipri'mer m:retained"in positionj the};

completely air-and watertight;

Further objeotsand advanc-ages of: m invemtion will be apparent byreference to thezfo-llowingrspeciflcation and drawingsinwhichc- Eigure lis a longitudinal. sectionof thefuse ofimy inventio-n with the partslcclsed-in-inoper able position to prevent an arming of the fuse;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section similarto Figure butwit'h the-partsshown in thepositi'on assumed immediately upon projection ofjth'e fuse.and it's projectile from the barrel of theprojjectling device;

Figure 3' is a longitudinal sectionpartly in elevation ofthe fuse, h w ni p rtsinthearmed. he. fus a, locking means is provideel comprise.-

threaded collar: 21!). The longitudinal bore? ZJ-of:

the primer. adapter. body. his: constricted:- atitss I rearwardendtoprovide a seat for asaietphalli 2.2. which lwhenf in. position, shownin. Figs-uresrl 50 and, zpreventsthe, firing pin- Hi from; striking;

the. primer. iii. to, ignite the-fuser andt thus;- tainstheiusein anunarmedmndition;

Theprimer adapter, body. L8; Whichiis slidabhp nositionedwvithimtheboreL1,, is normally'lockedr.- againstsliding, movementrim direction). The.ocking means; is. releasable by, inentia- 'llQGIlrthQ projection of.the; fuse and its; sheila-from; th'QiQlQr jecting, barrel... I10preventtheprimer adapter. 7

body, from sliding forwardlytowards, the QSBgOf;

ing a safety ball 23 resting in a groove 24 of the primer adapter bodyl8 and also abutting a shoulder 25 formed on the wall of the bore I! inthe body 9 of the fuse. the position shown in Figure 1 of the drawings,it will be seen that the primer adapter body l8 is prevented fromsliding forwardly toward the nose of the fuse. The locking means toprevent a sliding movement of the primer adapter body I 8 in a rearwarddirection towards the main body of explosive charge comprises a safetybolt or plunger 26 of circular cross section. The safety With the safetyball 23 in bolt 26 which is maintained in the position shown 1 in Figure1 when the fuse is locked and unarmed is slidably positioned within abore 2! of the fuse body 9' and a bore 45 in the delay casing 35. Springfingers 28, as shown in detail in Figure 9 of the drawings, engageagainst a shoulder formed by the flattened surfaces 29 at the end ofthe'safety bolt 26, thus holding the safety bolt in the position shownin Figures 1 and 9 of the drawings and preventing any sliding movementof the primer adapter body [8 toward the rear of the fuse body. Thethickness and the tensile strength of the spring fingers 28 may bevaried or adjusted to the requirements of the individual fuse with itsprojectile.

Referring to Figure 2 of the drawings, immediately upon the projectionof the fuse and its projectile from the barrel of the projecting devicesuch as a trench mortor or the like, the inertia of the primer adapterbody I8 will be sufficient to overcome the pressure of the springfingers 28 against the shoulders formed by flattened surfaces 29 of thesafety bolt 26 and will force the safety bolt 26 to move rearwardlywithin the bore 2'! and bore 45 to assume the position shown. Thus, theprimer adapter body l8 will beslid rearwardly by inertia within the boreI! to assume the position shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, and in thisposition will enable the safety ball 23 to fall out of the groove, andbe freed within the enlarged part 30 of the bore I! in the fuse body 9.Thereafter the fuse will be in a position to be armed and the primeradapter body [8 will be free to slide forwardly towards the nose of thefuse when such a directing force is applied.

As the fuse and its projectile pass the peak of its trajectory or itsmaximum ordinate after being fired from a trench mortar or the like andis commencing to fall towards the earth, the safety ball 22 will fallout of the bore 2|, and the primer adapter body l8 can slide forwardlywithin the bore l1 towards the nose of the fuse, as shown in Figure 3 ofthe drawings. Since the safety ball 22 is no longer resting within thebore 2|, the point 3| of the firing pin l6 can contact directly upon thecasing 32 of the primer l 9 when the primer adapter body I8 has movedforwardly. Thus the fuse will be armed and upon impact, the firing pinl6 will explode the primer [9 to ignite the fuse.

I have described thus far a set-back fuse which is especially intendedto be used with explosive projectiles of the smooth bore ornon-revolving type, such as are used in the barrels of trench mortars orthe like. This fuse construction which I have described is exceedinglysafe, since the fuse is normally locked to maintain the fuse in anunarmed condition in which it is absolutely impossible for the firingpin to strike the primer. However, the locking means for the fuseconstruction as described is releasable by the inertia obtained upon theprojecting of the fuse and its projectile from the barrel of theprojecting device. With the fuse construction embodying the lockingdevice of my invention, it is absolutely safe to store and handleexplosive projectiles to which the fuse has already been attached in acondition which, upon placing in a projecting device and upon projectionto a point past its maximum ordinate will result in an immediate armingof the fuse.

I have also embodied in the fuse construction of my invention, a meansfor giving either a delayed or super-quick action of the fuse forignition of the explosive charge. The means for selecting either thedelayed or super-quick action of the fuse upon impactis exceedinglysimple and fool-proof and does not necessitate the use of tedious fineadjustments located on the outside of the fuse body. g

Referring to Figures 4 through 8 of the drawings, which show the detailsof the selecting device for selectively adjusting the fuse to giveeither a delayed or super-quick action, a bore 33 within the body 9 isprovided to conduct the flame from the exploded primer l9. Positionedwithin an enlarged bore 34 adjacent to the bore 33 is a body 35constituting a delay case and. housing, the selecting slide and delaypowder charge, as will be described hereinafter. A thin metal plate orsafety disc 36 is interposed between the bore 33 and the delay case 35and functions as a gasket responsive to the pressure of the flame fromthe primer [9 to seal the delaycase 35 with respect to the body 9 of thefuse and prevent a, blow-by of flame such as would result in animmediate explosion of the main explosive charge even if the fuse is setto a delayed action. The disc 36 also is punctured, as shown in Figures5 and 9 of the drawings, to form the spring fingers 28 for locking thesafety bolt 26, as de.-.- scribed previously in connection with Figures1 and 9 of the drawings. Slidably positionedin a. transverse passage inthe delay case 35 is the selecting slide 31. The selecting slide 31, asshown in Figures 6 through 8 of the drawings, is provided with a bore 38and an imperforate bore 39. When theslide 3'! is in the position shownin Figures 6 and 8 of the drawings, the bore 38 is in alignment with thebore 40 of the delay casing 35 to provide a direct through-passage forthe flame from the primer l9 to reach the main body of explosive charge.With the parts in this position providing a direct through-passage forthe flame, a super-quick action of the fuse isobtained.

For a delayed action the slide is moved to the position shown in Figures2, 4, and '7 of the drawings, and when the slide is in this position,the imperforate bore 39 is in alignment with the bore 48, thus blockngoff a direct passage for the flame in the chamber 33 to the main body ofexplosive charge. The pressure of the flame and burning gases within theimperforate bore 39 will seat the slide tightly within the delay case35,

thus preventing the blow-by of any flame such as would effect asuper-quick action of the fuse. With the passage 49 blocked by theimperforate bore 39, the flame from the primer and in the bore 33 mustpass through the charge of delay powder 4% and the relay powder 42 toreach the main body of explosive charge, thus giving a delayed actiontothe fuse. As will be seen in Figure 4 of the drawings, the delaypowder 41 is in the form of a threaded core and is threaded within thedelay case 35. The threads serve to prevent the displacement of thedelay powder by any rough handling of the fuse. Also, as shown in Figure4 of the drawings, the relay powder 42 for conducting the burning flamefrom the delay powder 4| to the main body of explosive charge is held inposition by the threaded collar 43. It will be seen that when thisthreaded collar 43 is removed from the body 9, the relay powder ring 42may be removed and the delay case 35 containing the slide 31 and delaypowder 4! may likewise be removed for inspection or repairs.

As described above, the slide 31 may be moved to the position shown inFigure 6 of the drawings to give a super-quick action or may be moved tothe position shown in Figures 2 and 4 to give a delayed action of thefuse. To move the slide 31, it is only necessary to rotate the fuse andits shell before placing the shell in the barrel of the projectingdevice. An indication 44 on the surface of the fuse body 9 is provided,and it is preferably a depression which may be felt by the operator sothat the fuse may be manipulated in total darkness, if necessary. Whenthe fuse is rotated so that the depression 44 is facing upward, theslide will move in response to gravity to assume the position shown inFigure 6 of the drawings and select a super-quick action of the fuse.When the fuse and projectile are rotated to a position with theindication 44 facing downward, the slide 31 will be moved in response togravity to the position shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings andselect a delayed action for the fuse.

The selecting device, as described above, is so designed as to be lockedin the selected position immediately upon the projection of the fuse andits projectile from the barrel of the projecting device. Upon projectionof the fuse and its projectile, the set-back inertia of the primeradapter body I8 is sufficient to force the safety bolt 26 to move pastthe spring fingers 28 within the bore 45 of the delay case 35, aspreviously described, to assume either of the positions shown in Figures2 and 6 of the drawings. When the selecting slide 31 is in the positionshown in Figure 6 of the drawings, the safety bolt 26, when moved inresponse to the inertia of the primer adapter body l8, will be movedthrough the bore 45 to a position behind the slide 31, thus preventingany further movement of the slide 31 and locking the slide in theselected position to give super-quick action of the fuse. If the slideis in the selected position, as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings, forgiving a delayed action of the fuse, the safety bolt 26 will pass, whenmoved in response to the inertia of member l8, through the bore 38 inthe slide to lock the slide in this selected position of delayed action.It should be noted that the safety bolt 26 is of circular cross sectionwith the exception of the flattened end surfaces 29, and that when thesafety bolt 23 is moved to the position shown in Figures 2 and 6 of thedrawings, the spring fingers 28 will frictionally grip the enlargedcircular cross section of the safety bolt 26, so that the safety bolt 26cannot thereafter be moved, and thus assuring that the selecting slide31 will remain locked in the desired position.

I have shown and described a fuse for explosive projectiles especiallyadapted to be used with smooth bore or non-rotating projectiles which isabsolutely safe for storage and handling purposes and which is normallylocked to maintain the fuse in an inoperable or unarmed condition untilthe fuse and its projectile are projected from the barrel of theprojecting device. The locking means, as shown and described, isautomatically releasable by the forces of inertia ob tained whenprojecting the fuse with its projectile from the barrel of th projectingdevice to permit the arming of the fuse by the turning over of the fusewith its projectile after passing its maximum ordinate. The fuseconstruction which I have invented is also provided with a means forgiving either a delayed or super-quick action upon impact and with asimple and easily operable means fOr selecting either the delayed orsuper-quick action. It will be noted that the means for selecting eitherthe delayed or superquick action of the fuse is operable in response toa manual rotation of the fuse body before the fuse and its projectileare placed in the barrel of the projecting device, and since theselecting operation is so simple, it may be done without resort to fineadjustments and in total darkness, with absolute certainty as to theselected action of the fuse.

It should be understood that while th fuse construction which I haveshown and described is particularly adapted to be used with smooth boreor non-rotating explosive projectiles, the fuse construction as shownand described is also capable of being applied and used to advantagewith rotating rojectiles, if desired, since the fuse and the fusecontrolling means are responsive to the forces of inertia as obtained inany explosive projectile immediately upon the projection of theprojectile from the barrel of the projecting device.

It is to be understood that the construction shown and described ismerely an illustration of the preferred embodiments and that suchchanges may be made as fall within the purview of one skilled in the artwithout departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of theappended claim.

I claim:

A shell fuse comprising a body having an axial bore, a carrier slidablein said bore, a primer carried by said carrier, a rearwardly projectingfiring pin in the forward end of said bore against which the carrier isadapted to carry the rimer,

means normally locking said carrier against for- 7 Ward movement in saidbore intermediate the ends of the latter and with the primer spaced fromthe firing pin, said locking means being released to permit such forwardmovement upon relative rearward movement of said carrier in said boredue to set-back inertia, said body defining a pair of axially extendingfiring paths behind the primer and a transverse passage intersecting oneof said paths, control means freely slidable in said channel by gravitybetween blocking and freeing positions with respect to said one of saidpaths, a plunger mounted in said body for relative axial slidingmovement, and means holding said plunger in a normal position whereinsaid plunger engages said carrier to hold said carrier in its normalposition, said holding means being released due to set-back inertia ofsaid plunger and carrier so that said plunger and carrier moverelatively rearwardly with respect to said body to positions wherein thelocking means for the carrier is released and the plunger locks saidcontrol member in selected position.

PIAO KIANG.

